Not since 1955 have Tipperary won both Munster minor titles in the same year, but yesterday’s hurling win over Clare at Páirc Uí Chaoimh completed a double following the football victory against Kerry. The achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact there are 10 players on both panels, with five dual players starting yesterday. For manager William Maher, it was a case of managing time effectively to ensure the optimum outcome. “These fellas are fantastic,” he said afterwards. “There are a lot who are hurlers and footballers so we’ve had to manage them very closely for the last while. They’ve won both now, so it’s a case of onwards and upwards for the All-Ireland series.”

Many pre-match predictions had cast Tipp as easy winners by virtue of a good semi-final win over Waterford, who had only seen off Clare by a point in the first round. Though they had an eight-point lead coming up to half-time, after Stephen Cahill’s goal made it 1-10 to 1-2, Clare came back strongly in the second half, but this was not a surprise for Maher. “Clare are a very good team, I think the semi-final scores were a little bit unrealistic. It’s the first Munster title we’ve won in five years, so we’re thrilled.”

After an early Bobby Duggan free was followed by Shane O’Donnell’s goal, Clare led 1-1 to 0-0, but they would score just once more before first-half injury time as Tipp settled and took over. John McGrath and Bill Maher at midfield dictated matters, McGrath hitting four fine points, as Clare’s sloppiness was punished, and inside, Cahill was on song too, finishing well on 29 minutes after Jack Shelly cushioned a Mark McCarthy delivery into his path. Two Duggan frees gave Clare an avenue back into contention as they trailed 1-10 to 1-4 at half-time. They scored six of the second period’s first eight points, three from Niall Deasy and two by Duggan, to trail by just 1-12 to 1-10 after 42 minutes.

Tipp looked to have weathered the storm when Maher won a penalty, but McGrath blasted his shot over and Clare continued to stick in there, Deasy and Jamie Shanhan both impressing. Deasy’s fourth point of his immense second-half contribution had it at 1-14 to 1-12 with three minutes remaining, but Tipp would not be denied, McGrath sending over two late frees to bring his tally to seven and give Tipp a first win since 2007.

The Tipperary minor hurling team to play Clare in the Munster minor hurling final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday is unchanged from the team which started against Waterford in the semi-final. The team is:

1. Paul Maher (Moyne-Templetuohy)

2. Jack Peters (Kilruane MacDonaghs)

3. Michael Breen (Ballina)

4. Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields)

5. Dylan Fitzelle (Cashel King Cormacs)

6. Thomas Hamill (Killea)

7. Barry Heffernan (Nenagh Éire Óg)

8. Bill Maher (Kilsheelan Kilcash) CAPTAIN

9. Tadhg Gallagher (Kildangan)

10. Stephen Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields)

11. Jack Shelly (Mullinahone)

12. Steven O’Brien (Ballina)

13. Mark McCarthy (Toomevara)

14. John McGrath (Loughmore Castleiney)

15. Sean Ryan (Sean Treacys)

For the Record

Tipperary

Clare

2011 Championship Performance

Lost to Waterford in the first round. Defeated Cork in the semi-final 2nd playoff before losing to Clare by 3-13 to 1-13 in the Munster Semi-Final at Semple Stadium Thurles.

Defeated Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford to win the Munster title before losing to Galway after extra time in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Clare are looking for the third Munster Minor Hurling title on the trot.

Clare have won 4 Munster Minor Hurling titles in their history – 1981, 1989, 2010 and 2011.

The last county to win 3 Munster Minor Hurling titles in a row was the Cork teams from 2004 to 2006. The 3 winning Cork captains on those occasions were Shane O’Neill (2004), Patrick Cronin (2005) and Pat Horgan (2006).

Clare are the defending Munster Minor Hurling Champions following a 1-20 to 3-9 victory over Waterford at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in the 2011 Final. Four of that Clare Minor Hurling team played in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifier victory over Dublin last Saturday evening, namely Seadhna Morey, Tony Kelly, Aaron Cunningham and Colm Galvin.

Tipperary have won the Munster Minor Hurling title once since 2003, a 0-18 to 1-11 victory over Cork at Semple Stadium Thurles. The Munster Final winning team included current Tipperary Senior panelists Padraic Maher, John Coghlan, Michael Cahill, Noel McGrath, Brendan Maher (Captain), Patrick (Bonner) Maher and John O’Neill. Tipperary subsequently won the 2007 All-Ireland Minor Hurling title with a 3-14 to 2-11 victory over Cork.

If Tipperary fail to secure the 2012 Munster Minor Hurling title, it will be the first time since 1973 that Tipperary have gone 5 successive years without a Provincial Minor Hurling crown. In that period, Tipperary failed to win a Munster Minor Hurling title from 1963 through 1972, a period which subsequently mirrored a period of famine years at Munster Senior Hurling Championship level from 1974 to 1982.

There is no name on the Munster Minor Hurling Cup. The cup itself was presented by T.W.A. Shannon Airport in 1946.

All Ireland Minor Hurling Championship

In the Minor Hurling All Ireland Roll of Honour, Tipperary and Cork are tied for second in the charts with 18 titles each behind Kilkenny’s 20 titles. Limerick have 3 titles (1940, 1958, 1984), Waterford have won 2 titles (1929, 1948) while Clare’s only title to date came in 1997.

Of the last 13 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Finals played, the Irish Press Cup has only returned to Munster on 3 occasions – Cork (2001) and Tipperary (2006 and 2007). Of the other 10 titles since 1999, Galway have 6 and Kilkenny have captured 4.